Posts tagged ‘oil pipeline’

Oil produced in North Dakota’s Williston Basin is the latest North American crude grade to experience plummeting values because of what many in the industry say is rising output and tightening pipeline takeaway capacity combined with regional refinery maintenance.

Bakken crude values began experiencing a rather sharp decline at the start of October when a combination of factors began to weigh on values.

The boom in infrastructure projects is driving steel demand in India as the country prepares for national elections to be held in 2019. Steel consumption in fiscal 2018-2019 is likely to continue at an estimated 4-5% annual rise, according to a survey of mill officials and traders.

During April-October, India’s overall finished steel output rose 5% on the year to 69.6 million mt, even as overall steel consumption lagged behind at 56.7 million mt, at a growth rate of 4.2% year on year.

US oil pipeline companies were calling their lawyers in Washington last week after regulators said a practice that has apparently become commonplace in the industry violates federal law.

The order by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission involves marketing affiliates of pipelines that buy space on the parent company’s system and then resell it — sometimes at a lower rate than the published tariff.

When Willie Chiang, chief executive officer of Plains All American, rose to address an audience at the Houston Petroleum Club in mid-September, his message was clear: crude production from the Permian Basin will continue to grow and timing will be a critical factor to build pipelines.

First Nations tribes in Canada and the US have started flexing their muscles, successfully delaying pipeline projects on both sides of the border. Indications are that this effort is becoming more organized and may play a larger role in infrastructure decisions across the continent.

Tribal action is behind the delays encountered by Energy Transfer Partners’ Dakota Access Pipeline in North Dakota. Tribes are demanding more consultation and, in some cases, opposing expansion of energy infrastructure altogether.